In this strange 10-game season for Rutgers, it seemed only appropriate that the Scarlet Knights had to gut out a win against their worst opponent so far by putting their best players on the bench.

After closing the first half on a 14-4 run to tie the game without the help of Mike Rosario and Greg Echenique, head coach Fred Hill decided to keep his stellar freshmen on the bench to start the second half.

The result? His new-look Scarlet Knights built a 17-point lead and were able to escape pesky Delaware State, 60-55, Sunday at the Rutgers Athletic Center.

"Those (new starters) played, I think, the first eight minutes of the second half," Hill said. "And I know we were up 17 and I don't think that I had subbed at that point. I'm not real good at math, but a 14-4 run to end one half and a 17-point lead in the second half -- we just went with the guys that were playing good."

Math expert or not, one thing has become obvious to Hill: His team still struggles to put teams away.

But while the revamped lineup of Anthony Farmer, Corey Chandler, Earl Pettis, JR Inman and Hamady Ndiaye did jump out to a quick 17-point lead, it quickly disintegrated. The Hornets came back in the final eight minutes of the game to cut the lead to two points with less than a minute to play.

And with the game on the line, the guard combo of Farmer and Rosario was ready, putting Delaware State away for good with three free throws and a runner in the lane.

"We have some younger guys, but we have to have that same sense of urgency and passion to get up by 17, and then stepping on them and putting them away," Farmer said. "That's something that we have to continue to work on."

Farmer, though, was the one constant for Rutgers Sunday, leading the Scarlet Knights with 17 points off the bench. Rosario added 15 points, with nine of them coming at the free-throw line. Hornets forward Arturo Dubois had a double-double with 15 points and 14 rebounds.

Farmer was the only Rutgers player with a field goal over the first 13 minutes of the game. The senior captain also provided a spark for Rutgers: His defense and timely baskets keyed the 14-4 run to tie the game at 27 at halftime and the second-half spurt that pushed the lead to 17.

And it was Farmer's runner in the lane that proved to be the deciding basket, as it put Rutgers up by five points with 16 seconds to play.

"I just wanted to make the right play," Farmer said of the final basket. "There have been a couple of times where I've had the ball in my hands at the end of games and haven't made the correct decision."

Still, Farmer knows what happens when a team learns too late -- or not at all -- about putting teams away early.

Delaware State came into the game with 11 losses and, while five were against major-conference schools, the Hornets had lost to Longwood and Division 2 Cheyney. In their 11 losses, they had trailed by an average of 13 points at halftime. And even when they were down by 17 Sunday, it seemed the Hornets were just waiting for their opening to get back in the game.

Perhaps Rutgers' struggles to put teams away stems from its difficulty getting an early jump on opponents.

"We haven't gotten off to great starts," Hill said. "I don't have an answer for it. We've tried different things. I don't know why. I wouldn't say we came out flat. They put the ball inside and made a couple of tough shots. ... You've got to find other ways to get it done."